Inner Peace
by Stellatrix13
Summary: Celia is searching for answers and her search has led her to the City of the Mountain, Monaltia. But when she bumps into the friends she left months ago without an explanation, old memories and emotions are dredged up and Celia must face the truths hidden deep inside her. ((set in Unova with Sinnoh characters)) ((also features an original Pokemon!)) **COMPLETE!**
1. Peace

**DISCLAIMER: I claim ownership of nothing except my original characters Celia and Concordia. Everything else belongs to their rightful owners.**

* * *

1\. Peace

I peered over the edge of the bridge to the river far below. I couldn't believe how high up we were. But then again we were in the mountains. Reuniclus floated a little bit out and I stuck my tongue out at it. "Show off."

Reuniclus gurgled and returned to my side as I continued across the bridge to the City on the Mountain, Monaltia. Buildings of white marble seemed to sprout from the rocks themselves as they reached up into the clouds, and a grand medieval-style gate welcomed us into the city proper. I had stayed at an inn across the bridge last night, in the outer part of the city that had been built later as more and more people settled in Monaltia.

I grinned as a bunch of balloons and confetti were released into the air. A Cubchoo released a soft burst of Powder Snow that sparkled in the sunlight. I grabbed the string of a balloon before it could float away. Reuniclus circled the bright blue balloon before deciding it was a worthy companion.

The entire city had been decorated in white, sky blue, and carnation pink for the Festival of Peace. Banners had been raised and tents selling merchandise set up. Every plaza and street were filled with people, from Trainers to families to vendors to locals. They were all here to celebrate Concordia and the peace the Pokémon brought not just to the Unova region, but the entire Pokémon world.

I could hardly contain my excitement. After all, I had come to Monaltia to study Concordia, the Pokémon the city considered the equivalent of a patron saint. The festival meant it would probably be a lot easier to find what I was looking for.

"Can you believe we're actually here, Reuniclus?" I said for maybe the fiftieth time.

Reuniclus just rolled its eyes, but I knew it was happy for me, or it at least felt my happiness. I couldn't put my finger on it, but something about this place just felt…right. Maybe there was something substantial behind Concordia as Monaltia's protector.

I stopped in front of a fountain in one of the city's many plazas. This fountain featured a statue of Concordia itself. Four legs and four wings extended from the Pokémon's long and slender body. A triangular head capped one end while at the other the body tapered into a slender tail. Two stripes carved into the stone extended along Concordia's body, crossing each other now and then. Although the statue was beautiful, I couldn't wait to see a color image of the Pokémon.

A summoning burble from Reuniclus drew my attention to a bulletin board. Reuniclus pointed with one of his great green arms at one poster in particular: an advertisement for a special battle tournament during the festival.

I smirked at the poster. "Festival of Peace, huh?"

Reuniclus cooed a little.

I sighed. "Fine, we can go watch for a little while."

Reuniclus immediately took off down a street that I assumed led to the stadium. I couldn't do anything but run after it and try not to lose sight. I laughed at myself. _This is what happens when you don't put a Pokémon in a Pok_ _é_ _Ball, Celia._

Reuniclus was anxiously waiting for me at the entrance since it couldn't get in without its Trainer, of course. The guard waved me in – apparently spectating was free. Probably went with the peace theme.

My Pokémon companion stuck with me this time in the crowded stadium. The noise level rose every now and then as some Pokémon executed a critical move or a Trainer won a round. We stopped at a balcony on the second level, claiming a spot that opened up right as we passed by. The battlefield spread out before us with the traditional markings. An electronic scoreboard at each end displayed the Trainers and Pokémon currently battling, along with their score. It appeared the first Trainer to knock out his or her opponent's two chosen Pokémon won the round.

Reuniclus and I arrived in time to see the last semifinal. It was an excellent battle as both Trainers lost one Pokémon and their second choices, a Chandelure and a Scolipede, were well matched. The Trainer with the Chandelure eventually won after his Pokémon landed a few Fire Blasts even though the Scolipede had hit it with some nasty Poison moves.

The excitement in the crowd was electrifying as the announcer set up the final battle of the tournament. "A Unova local, we just saw him and his amazing Chandelure take down that terrifying Scolipede without a sweat. In the red corner, here's Bello Nocten from Opelucid City!"

The crowd roared as the victor from the last battle stepped back out onto the battlefield. I pitied the Trainer that was now set to face him and his Chandelure.

"And now in the blue corner, a young man who has traveled all the way from Pallet Town in the Kanto region to join us…"

Pallet Town?

"…who's pulled off some clinch victories with his shocking Pikachu…"

Pikachu? No. He can't be here.

"…Ash Ketchum!"

I didn't hear the corresponding applause from the crowd as a boy with big brown eyes and messy black hair stuffed under a ball cap walked out, waving at the crowd with both hands and drinking in the attention. A Pikachu was acting the same way from its perch on its Trainer's shoulder.

"We're leaving," I told Reuniclus and abruptly turned away from the balcony, resisting the urge to sprint out of the stadium. I didn't even look back to check that Reuniclus was following. I only focused on getting as far away as possible from the stadium, from _him_.

A thought hit me as I stomped through the streets and I abruptly stopped. Reuniclus, not expecting the sudden halt, bumped into my back, but I hardly noticed. I whipped around and snarled at the Psychic Pokémon, "Did you know he would be there?"

Reuniclus started to warble something, but I cut him off as I continued, "What am I thinking? Wherever there's a battle tournament you can count on him being there. I should've known."

My irritation slowly drained out of me, and the fatigue of traveling and the emotional stress I had just experienced took its place. "Can you find a good place to stay, Reuniclus?"

Reuniclus wrapped its powerful green arms around me and I returned the embrace. It softly gurgled an affirmative answer and took the lead. We were quiet as I followed the Pokémon to a place it sensed was safe and affordable. I only spoke once: "Don't even think about trying to contact them, Reuniclus. Nothing's changed from when I left. If anything, it's more important that I stay away in this city."

Reuniclus didn't respond, which meant that either he would obey me, or defy me behind my back.

I sighed again. This trip wasn't turning out to be so great after all.

xxxxx

" _Celia! Wait!"_

 _I started to run but he had already caught up. He grabbed my wrist and stopped me. I flashbacked to when we first met – he had grabbed me the same way, but back then I wasn't ready for the memories. Now I automatically put my guard up whenever he was near._

" _Why are you doing this?"_

 _I didn't turn to look at him. If I did, I might lose my nerve. "You wouldn't understand."_

" _What about…what about us?"_

 _I finally looked over my shoulder at him. There was so much sadness on his face. As much sadness in my heart right now. I struggled to keep it from leaking out as I whispered, "It's better this way. Trust me."_

" _How? Please, Celia."_

" _I'm sorry, Ash."_

 _I tore away from his grip, my skin tingling from his touch, and ran away into the downpour._

xxxxx

I woke with a start. I felt wetness on my face and realized that I had been crying in my sleep. I always had nightmares, but not this one. I'd managed to push this one away a couple of weeks after I'd left. Seeing Ash again had brought it back.

I wrapped the blanket around me and left the darkness of sleep to journey outside. The inn happened to border the plaza with the fountain I had stopped to admire. But then again, Reuniclus probably picked this place for that very reason. I sat on a bench in front of the fountain, allowing the soothing sound of splashing to wash over me.

I gasped when I leaned my head back to look at the sky. The clear air up here in the mountains and the city's sparse streetlights allowed the night sky to be covered in stars like a blanket of twinkling lights. I didn't think I had ever seen anything so beautiful before.

I closed my eyes and before I knew it I had fallen asleep again, right there on the bench.

* * *

 **AN: Hello everyone! Thank you for reading my first fan fiction! I've actually had this piece all written out and completed for awhile now but just decided to put it on here. I hope you like it! Comments, reviews, etc. are always appreciated. As it says in the description, I will be adding a new chapter every Friday so don't forget to check back then!**


	2. Knowledge

2\. Knowledge

 _Panic suddenly filled me as the thunderstorm raged across the entire sky. The black dragon began forming a massive ball of electricity, while the white one created one of scorching fire. If the two great powers met the destruction to the land below would be horrible, I knew it._

 _Something told me I didn't have time to tap into my connections with them. Instead I thrust myself between them at the same moment they unleashed their fury. Excruciating pain filled every inch of me and I was falling, falling, falling…_

xxxxx

I shot straight up, hyperventilating and covered in sweat. A soft blue light immediately enveloped me as Reuniclus used Recover on me. My breathing returned to normal and the lingering terror melted away. I sighed in relief as I collapsed back onto the bed. Reuniclus must have found me outside sometime during the night. It usually did since it knew I liked to go outside whenever I had a nightmare.

This was the nightmare I was used to: the two dragons, the pain, falling. It had started as just tiny flashes. A flash of a thunderstorm, a dragon's roar, the sensation of falling. Then it started coming together, piece by piece. When I endured the full nightmare for the first time, I thought it might go away.

But it didn't. And gradually I realized the meaning of it, that it was no ordinary nightmare.

When it's true meaning finally came to me, that was when I left.

Now I had to keep one eye open for Ash while we were both here in Monaltia. He and the others would probably leave after the festival, so that just meant I had to survive only a few days of looking around corners and over my shoulder.

I quickly dressed and ate the berries that the innkeeper had provided for breakfast. The city was already buzzing with noise as the day's festivities began. Vendors reopened their stalls, calling out deals and thrusting their goods into people's faces. I stopped at one stall where a middle-aged woman was selling beautifully woven scarves and picked out one with the festival's traditional colors of white, blue, and pink. I deftly tied it over my hair like a headband, the ends trailing down and tangling with my light blonde locks.

Reuniclus emitted a bubble of a compliment.

I smiled, glad that my best friend had forgiven me for my behavior the day before. "Thank you."

The Multiplying Pokémon added a teasing gargle.

My smile disappeared. "I don't care if Ash would like it. We are not going to contact them."

I marched off toward my first destination: the Monaltia Archives. If I was going to find anything close to what I wanted, it would be there. The Archives were more than a library. It was like a museum all about Concordia. Surely I would find some answers there.

Plus, a library was probably one of the last places where I would encounter Ash.

The Archives were one of most magnificent buildings in the city. A staircase led to a columned portico with a stained glass piece featuring Concordia in all of its colorful glory with its white body and blue and pink stripes. Inside, murals of similar depictions covered the walls and even part of the ceiling. In between towering shelves were glass cases displaying ancient manuscripts and other artifacts showcasing Concordia.

Something inside me recoiled at the sight of so many volumes, but I didn't let the shelves daunt me for long. I put on a determined face and said, "Well, the sooner we get started, the sooner we'll find something."

A few hours later, I was slumped in a chair staring hopelessly at the lore book I had just finished reading. I had examined at least two dozen manuscripts and couldn't find a single thing that helped me. All they would ever say was "Concordia then mysteriously disappeared to whence it came," and then pick up at "But Concordia would appear whenever its powers were truly needed most." Nothing about where it went or what it did in between.

"There has to be some sort of records for sightings," I muttered. I looked over at Reuniclus, who floated dejectedly a few inches over one of the many stacks of books on the table I had claimed. We were both tired of looking at old letters and pictures.

"One more round, okay? Try finding a list of sightings."

Reuniclus sighed and floated off to the other side of the library to search the shelves there while I headed back to the librarian's desk to ask about such a list.

xxxxx

Reuniclus wasn't just tired of books. It was tired of Celia saying that it was better for her to go it alone, to deny herself friends and more. She still loved Ash; Reuniclus could sense it, even if she would never admit she still possessed such feelings.

As the Psychic Pokémon passed by the windows at the front of the Archives, though, something caught its eye. A Pikachu and a Piplup were chasing each other around a small garden in the plaza. Their Trainers, one a boy with black hair wearing a cap, and the other a girl with blue-black hair under a bandanna, were chatting with their other companion, a tall dark-skinned young man with spiky brown hair.

Reuniclus glanced back toward the table where Celia was conducting her research. She had told it not to contact them. But Reuniclus knew this would help her, even if she didn't know it.

Reuniclus turned back to the window and focused on the Pikachu that had just climbed onto its Trainer's shoulder. Checking that Celia wasn't around, the Pokémon sent out a signal.

xxxxx

"Pika?"

Ash Ketchum looked over at the Pokémon perched on his shoulder. One ear was tilted in the way that meant it had heard something. "What is it, Pikachu?"

"Pi." Pikachu leapt down and stepped toward a large official-looking building, its ears angling back and forth.

"Hey, Brock? What's that place?" Ash asked the Gym Leader.

Brock studied the map in his hands. "Monaltia Archives."

"That stained glass is so pretty," Dawn commented, pointing at the circular inset on the portico.

"That's Concordia, the Pokémon honored by the Festival of Peace," Brock read from his guide book.

"Pika!" At that moment, Pikachu took off running. It sprinted across the square and up to the Archives.

"Pikachu, wait up!" Ash yelled as he followed the yellow Pokémon.

"Ash!" Dawn called out. She and Brock looked at each other before they hurried after their friend.

Ash stopped when he entered the Archives, jaw dropping at the exquisite paintings and the size of the place. But a call from Pikachu drew his attention back to his Pokémon, who was waving at him from a table where a green Pokémon that looked like several blobs clumped together floated above Pikachu's head.

"Reuniclus?" As Ash drew closer to them a girl emerged from the shelves and stopped at the table. A scarf was tied around her light blonde hair and her blue eyes were angled down at the book she was holding. Ash's eyes were immediately drawn to the necklace that hung from a leather cord, a circular crystal with swirls carved into it.

It couldn't be. Could it? All at once the emotions that Ash had locked away came flooding back.

"Celia?"

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 **AN: Yay new chapter! I just want to say thank you to everyone who has already favorited and followed this story! I'm super excited to see that people are interested in reading this. This chapter's a little shorter - they all vary in length. Again, don't forget to follow, comment, etc. See you next Friday!**


	3. Friendship

3\. Friendship

My head snapped up at the sound of my name whispered in an achingly familiar voice.

Ash Ketchum hadn't changed much. He still wore his classic Trainer's outfit, cap and all. His black hair was just as messy as it was when I had traveled with him and Dawn and Brock. But his eyes were different. His eyes betrayed everything, every single emotion that I knew he was feeling right now. I couldn't meet them for long.

"Ash?" His name came out hoarse and I cleared my throat. "What? How?" My heart was pounding and I hoped I didn't start hyperventilating. This couldn't be happening. No way.

At that moment I saw Pikachu and Reuniclus on the table. I slammed shut the book I was reading and thrust it in Reuniclus's face. "You! You did this! I told you not to contact them!"

Reuniclus shrugged and gurgled the essence of an apology and "it's for your own good" speech. I let out a frustrated noise and threw the book the librarian had just retrieved for me at the Multiplying Pokémon, who easily caught it with its gigantic arms.

"Wait, you knew we were here?" Ash asked.

I sighed. "I saw you yesterday. At the tournament."

"No way! Did you watch me battle?" he asked excitedly.

"No. I left the moment I saw you. It was the final battle."

Ash's face dropped. "Oh, in that case, I'm glad. I didn't win."

"You can't win everything, Ash," I said out of habit. I immediately looked away.

"Celia?" That was Dawn. "Is that you? Oh my gosh, it is!"

I was instantly crushed in one of Dawn's hugs. Brock was right behind her, but thankfully he didn't try to squeeze out what little oxygen was left in my body.

"How are you doing, Celia? Getting by on your own?" Brock inquired.

"Well enough," I answered. "I've got Reuniclus." On cue, my Pokémon drifted over to hover behind my shoulder with a satisfied warble.

"Are you here for the festival?" Dawn queried next.

"Kind of," I replied. "I was coming here anyway. The festival's a nice opportunity, though."

"Why is that?" Ash asked. He hadn't taken his eyes off me for a second, like he was afraid if he looked away for even a millisecond I would disappear again. Which I probably would.

I glanced at the stacks that covered the table. "Er, well, I'm doing some research."

Brock picked up a volume. "On what? Concordia?"

I nodded, mind racing to come up with a reason that I could share. "Yeah, you know about my connection to Legendaries, and I know very little about Concordia, so I wanted to do some studying."

"A lot of studying," Ash commented as his eyes finally left me to wander over the books. I couldn't help glaring at him.

Just then my stomach decided to announce its empty state with a loud growl and I clamped a hand over it, my cheeks warming.

Brock grinned at me. "We were just getting ready to go out for a picnic lunch. Want to join us?"

Dawn jumped in. "Yeah! We can catch up and everything! It'll be great!"

"Umm…" I risked a glance at Ash and then sighed. "I guess lunch wouldn't hurt."

"Yay! Let's go!" Dawn grabbed my wrist and practically dragged me out of the Archives. The librarian yelled something about putting the books back but we ignored her. The Minccinos and Cinccinos that helped there would put them back.

Brock used his map to lead us to a verdant park that seemed a little out of place this high in the mountains. Lilligants and Petilils wandered around, spreading spores and taking care of the flowers and grass. A few Deerling wandered out from the adjacent forest to graze on the lush turf. We set up the blanket near the cliff, which was edged by a fence to prevent anyone from falling over. The river and mountain range stretched out before us in a breathtaking view. Again I had that feeling that this place and I just went together.

The four of us ate as we let our Pokémon stretch their legs and run around the park. I smiled when I saw how much Reuniclus was enjoying playing with its old friends. Humans weren't the only social creatures.

"I forgot how much I love your cooking, Brock," I said as I popped another sandwich into my mouth.

"Always glad to satisfy another empty stomach," he responded.

"So you're on your way to the Elite Four?" I asked.

Ash nodded. "Yep, I finally got all eight badges." He opened his jacket to show eight shiny pins, the badges awarded by Gym Leaders to those who could defeat them.

"We're stopping by another contest, too," Dawn added. "I've won a few more ribbons." She pulled out her case and opened it. It was almost full with lovely, sparkling ribbons.

"I've seen you on television every now and then when I stop at someplace that has one," I said.

"Where all have you gone, Celia?" Ash asked.

I shrugged. "Here and there. I stopped by Nimbasa and Castelia City, but I've mostly been hitting small towns. I actually went back to Fanum to make sure that some of the elders were doing okay, and to see how the temple looked, or what was left of it." I looked off into the distance as I remembered how nature had already begun to reclaim the land the temple that I had called home for almost eight years had stood on before it burned to the ground.

"Has Team Rocket given you anymore trouble?" Brock inquired. I could see why he would ask. They were the ones responsible for the blaze that had destroyed the temple.

I shook my head. "I haven't seen any trace of them, fortunately."

"Probably because they've been too busy coming after us," Dawn said.

"No surprise there," Ash remarked.

"Oh yeah, I love your scarf, Celia!" Dawn exclaimed. "Where did you get it?"

"Thanks. I bought it from one of the vendors in the fountain plaza. I can show you if you like."

"Yes, please!"

We called back our Pokémon and I took the lead as we headed to the plaza. I was acutely aware of Ash's presence behind my left shoulder and I focused on admiring the city's architecture to distract me.

Dawn gasped when she saw all the shops and stalls. Everything was open now, and even busier than the day before. She spotted the scarf stall right away and dashed over to it. The rest of us followed, Brock yelling, "Don't spend all your money, Dawn!"

Soon Dawn had accumulated several bags of souvenirs and she collapsed on the bench that had served as my bed for a little while last night.

"We're going to be broke again if you keep going on shopping sprees like this, Dawn," Brock admonished.

"Don't worry, we'll get more after the next contest."

"Pip. Lup!" Dawn's Piplup put its fins on its waist and stuck out its chest. Ash and I looked at each other and then covered our mouths in an attempt to smother our giggles. When we realized what we were doing, we immediately sobered up.

"Hey, Ash!"

We turned around to see the other trainer from the tournament final, Bello Nocten, striding toward us. Since Ash had said that he didn't win the final battle, that meant Bello was also the tournament's victor.

"Hey, Bello. Ready for that rematch?"

I rolled my eyes. Of course. Ash never walked away from a loss without demanding a rematch at some point.

Bello laughed. "Actually, I wanted to see what you thought about having it in the stadium? As victor, I can pull a few strings and get it in there. Anyone and everyone can come watch it, too."

For some reason, my pendant began to warm up. I subtly placed it under my shirt before it could start glowing and attract attention. What was it trying to tell me? Was a Legendary seeking my attention?

"Everyone seeing you lose? Sounds good to me," Ash answered.

Bello smirked. "Does tomorrow at midday work for you?"

"Yeah."

"Tomorrow then."

Bello stuck out his hand and Ash grasped it for a second, sealing the deal. Bello walked away without another word, melting into the crowd.

"I don't know about you guys, but he creeps me out," Dawn said.

I pulled my necklace back out, cradling the crystal, which lay cool against my palm. Whatever had set it off had passed. I shrugged to myself and dropped it back under my shirt just in case it started acting up again.

* * *

 **AN: It's Friday again so that means another chapter! Celia has finally run into her old friends again, and Ash is being Ash. Sorry there's not much action in this chapter. There will be a lot more in the upcoming ones so stay tuned! Thanks for reading, everyone!**


	4. Emotion

4\. Emotion

When I showed my old friends where I was staying they insisted on joining me. Dawn said that the inn they were staying at had terrible service, which I doubted, but they insisted on transferring. I just sighed and accepted my fate.

I went off on Reuniclus again when we were back in our room. "Look what you've done! This is exactly the opposite of what I wanted!"

Reuniclus gurgled something like, "You'll thank me later."

"Yeah, right. I doubt that. I left for a reason, Reuniclus! That reason still stands! If anything, it's worse now!"

Reuniclus threw its arms up in defeat and drifted under the bed, hiding from me in the shadows.

I groaned and flopped on top of the bed. "I asked you to do one thing, Reuniclus, and you betrayed me. What am I going to do with you?"

The Pokémon I had raised since it was a simple Solosis didn't respond.

xxxxx

 _The three trainers and two Pokémon were wrapped up tightly in sticky string. I almost didn't want to help them. After all they were trespassing on the aggressive Bug Pokémon's territory. But something in the young boy's cries drew me to them. My crystal had brightened a little at each of his calls for help, and I always listened to my crystal._

 _The Bug Pokémon were getting ready to unleash some nasty Bug Bites when I stepped into the clearing and shouted, "Stop!"_

 _Everyone, Pokémon and human, looked at me. I made eye contact with each and every one of the local Pokémon as I continued, "Leave them alone. They mean you no harm. Right?" I raised an eyebrow at the captives, who nodded vigorously._

" _Go home," I ordered._

 _The Bug Pokémon stared at me for a moment, debating whether or not they should listen to me, the one who protected them and their home. But then a Whirlipede rolled back into the trees, and then a Swadloon gathered a couple of Sewaddle and ushered them into the bushes. The Bug Pokémon gradually returned to their homes in the forest, the last Venipede spatting out one final piece of string before joining its brethren._

" _Get them out of that stuff, Reuniclus, if you please," I asked my faithful companion._

 _Reuniclus complied with a happy bubble, using a combination of its psychic powers and its powerful arms to free the newcomers from their sticky bonds._

 _The girl started to speak. "Thank you v-"_

" _You're very lucky," I said, cutting her off. "Normally I would've let the Pokémon have you. You did stomp around their territory."_

" _So why did you save us?" The younger boy, the one with the Pikachu, asked that question._

 _Our eyes met and I saw the shadows of certain memories swimming behind those brown irises. Memories that I wanted to both see and avoid._

" _Because of you," I whispered, and then spun on my heels and dashed into the forest, back toward the temple._

" _Hey, wait!" I could hear the boy following me through the trees. "What do you mean? Who are you?"_

 _He was faster than I expected, so I wasn't prepared when he grabbed my wrist. An onslaught of images assaulted me and I fell to my knees with a cry. Pokémon flashed before me:_

A small pink and large purple Pokémon, similar in appearance.

Three birds of differing elements, with a large white and blue creature.

A great brown and white dog of fire.

A small green fairy Pokémon flitting through a forest with a blue and white dog of water instead of fire.

Two Pokémon, one red and one blue, zooming through air and water.

A small yellow and white fairy with an eye on its stomach, and then a massive creature of earth and magma.

A giant green dragon of the atmosphere and a red shifting Pokémon from beyond.

Three Pokémon created from rock, ice, and steel.

A small blue water fairy with a massive blue monster of the ocean.

A black Pokémon like the stuff of nightmares.

A huge blue creature of diamond and steel, a pink one of pearls, and a gray one of distorted shadows.

A small green bunch of flowers that could zip through the sky.

An enormous spiny Pokémon said to be the creator of the Pokémon world.

 _Each image – no, not images, memories – shared a common factor: the boy._

 _The memories disappeared as suddenly as they came, leaving me exhausted and hyperventilating. A soft blue glow enveloped me as Reuniclus used Recover on me. My pendant was still burning from those memories, though, almost scorching my bare chest._

 _I realized that the boy was holding me, his eyes full of concern. "Are you okay?"_

 _I nodded. "Come with me."_

xxxxx

My necklace felt the tiniest bit warm when I woke from my dream. The day I first met Ash. The first time I saw his memories of the Legendaries. I had told him I envied him for having met so many. He let me work through them bit by bit as we traveled, strengthening my connection with each Legendary Pokémon so that they might heed my call when I needed their power.

At the same time, Ash and I grew closer and closer. Too close. I fell.

I wrapped the blanket around me again, careful not to disturb Reuniclus, who had fallen asleep in its refuge under the bed. I tiptoed out and past the room that Ash and Brock were bunking in, cringing when a floorboard creaked loudly, but making it outside without another sound. I settled on the bench by the fountain again. The only sounds were the bubbling of the fountain, the flapping of banners and flags in the wind, and the cry of some Pokémon somewhere out in the night. I looked up at the display of stars, but clouds obscured part of the heavens tonight.

"Celia? What are you doing out here?"

I turned to see Ash standing next to the bench, but I was too tired to send him away. "Couldn't sleep," I answered.

Ash seemed to hesitate and then asked, "Mind if I sit with you?"

It was my turn to hesitate, but I patted the spot next to me on the bench and he sat, leaning forward with his hands clasped tightly. I could acutely feel the tension suspended in the inches between us. I cleared my throat, trying to get rid of the blockage that suddenly appeared. "The night sky is beautiful when there aren't so many clouds. I like to come outside on the nights when I can't sleep. Which is pretty much every night."

Ash looked over at me sharply.

"I have nightmares. If I want to sleep, Reuniclus has to use Hypnosis on me. I've gotten used to it. It's part of my routine now." I realized I was babbling and I clamped my mouth shut and pulled the blanket a little tighter around me. I resisted the urge to lean into Ash like I did on those many nights where we would stay up late and stargaze.

Ash's voice was barely audible as he whispered, "Why did you leave?"

I stayed silent for a minute. Reuniclus would want me to tell him. But I couldn't. It would change everything. This way we still had a relationship, even if it was broken.

Ash continued, "Was it something I said?"

"No!" I replied right away. "No, it wasn't you. I discovered something that I knew would inevitably hurt us."

"Hurt more than you leaving?" Ash asked. "Do you know how much that hurt me, Celia? It was like I had lost Pikachu. Maybe even worse."

"I'm sorry, Ash, but it's best for all of us that I-"

Without warning Ash took my face between his hands and kissed me. At first I stiffened, but then to my surprise, I relaxed against his body. One of my hands crept up to tangle the fingers in his hair. It was like he had unlocked my heart and all the feelings that I had denied even the tiniest acknowledgment.

And deep down I realized that I still loved him.

I tore myself away and stood up, pushing back all these unwanted emotions. "No. This can't happen, Ash. It won't work."

Ash stood up as well. "Why not?"

"You wouldn't understand." I could feel the tears coming. Crying was the last thing I wanted to do right now. It betrayed my true feelings.

Ash took me by the arms. "Then make me understand." He wiped away the tears that dripped down my cheeks. "I want to make this work, Celia." He bit his lip. "I love you."

I stared at him, at those big brown eyes, and just shook my head. "If you knew the true me, you wouldn't say that."

I slipped out of his grip and ran back into the inn. I cried myself to sleep that night, an ironically blissful sleep free of all dreams.

* * *

 **AN: Poor Celia and Ash. Oh, I never mentioned this before, but in this fan fiction I'm assuming that Ash really does age; he's not ten years old like he always is in the anime (Or did they make him older now? I stopped watching a long time ago haha.).  
** **I was afraid I wouldn't be able to get this chapter up on Friday like usual because my internet is down at home but libraries are wonderful places. ^_^  
One more thing! When I wrote this the last movie that had come out was the Arceus one (or maybe the Victini ones I can't remember). That's why the list in the flashback stops with Arceus so don't say anything about not having the Kalos ones.  
Okay that's all for this chapter! See you next week for a longer chapter when we get to see Ash and Bello's rematch! Start placing your bets now! ;)**


	5. Determination

5\. Determination

I stayed in bed the entire morning, feigning sleep when Dawn tried to get me to join them for the day. I had resolved to stay away from Ash while they were still here, even if it meant never leaving this room.

Reuniclus tried several times to argue some reason or other why I should go out, but I just ignored it. Reuniclus was determined, though, and it eventually resorted to using Psychic to lift me out of the bed and dump me on the floor, at which point it let loose a stream of angry gurgles and burbles.

"Fine, I'll get up. But if you so much as form an atom of a thought about contacting them again, I swear I'll put you in a Poke Ball so fast you won't even have time to use Teleport."

Reuniclus murmured assent; it was just immensely glad that I was leaving the bed.

Its vow still didn't stop Reuniclus from reminding me about the rematch today, though. While I was languishing in bed, it had scanned a few people's minds and confirmed that Bello had managed to get the battle into the stadium at midday that day.

A debate raged inside me. On the one hand, I wasn't really looking forward to digging through the Archives again. On the other, there was a chance that I would meet Ash and the others at the battle, and I didn't know how much more emotional stress I could take. Finally, I decided to go to the battle. It would be a welcome distraction from my research, even if Ash was in it.

I was surprised to find the stadium almost packed full. Ash and Bello's last battle must have been pretty exciting if all these people came to watch them battle again. Reuniclus and I managed to squeeze in next to a little girl and her Lillipup on the lower level, behind the blue corner so it was less likely that Ash would spot us. Reuniclus and the Lillipup quickly struck up a conversation. The Lillipup's owner giggled and told me, "Lilli always likes to yap other Pokémon's ears off."

"It's okay," I said with a sly grin. "Reuniclus is used to it from all the rants it has to endure from me." The girl and I laughed and I couldn't remember the last time I felt carefree like that.

The announcer's voice boomed over the loudspeakers. "Welcome ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, citizens and visitors of Monaltia alike!"

The crowd erupted and the announcer had to wait a minute before the din died down enough for him to speak again. "For the first time in the history of the Festival of Peace's battle tournament, the victor and runner-up will be battling in a public rematch! Are you excited?"

I found myself adding my own cheers to the resulting clamor. I realized that I was eager to watch Ash battle again and see what new strategies and Pokémon he had acquired in the two months since I had left. It had been one of my favorite parts of traveling with him and the others, to watch them grow and learn new skills in their respective professions.

"I don't think our battlers need much introducing," the announcer continued, "but in the red corner, here's our victor, Bello Nocten from Opelucid City!"

A group of girls not that far away from me squealed as Bello stepped out into the arena. He was dressed to impress with a white dress shirt, black pants, and a dark purple coat with a swirling symbol printed in silver on the back. He kept his hands in his pockets, acknowledging the crowd with a wink that made the other girls swoon and me roll my eyes.

"And in the blue corner, let's welcome the challenger, Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town!"

Ash received as much support as Bello as he took his place on the field, but he didn't wave at the crowd. He just focused on Bello, and I knew he was already in battle mode, trying to guess his opponent's plans. They had already battled once before, but since I had left without seeing any part of the battle, I had no idea what Bello might throw at Ash beside his Chandelure.

The announcer explained the rules, which were the same as the regular tournament: two Pokémon each and the Trainer whose Pokémon were both unable to continue lost.

"Are you ready to battle, everyone?" the announcer hollered.

The spectators' enthusiastic response made the answer obvious.

"Then let's battle!"

Ash turned his hat backwards and sent out his Pokémon first. "Go, Serperior!" His Poké Ball released a gorgeous green serpentine Pokémon at least seven feet long. So Servine had evolved into Serperior. I wondered if its attitude was even worse now; no matter how much of a brat the Grass-type Pokémon was, though, I knew for a fact that its loyalty to Ash would never waver.

Bello smirked. "Showtime, Chandelure." I raised an eyebrow when the spooky chandelier emerged, spinning around once in a blur of purple flame before hovering a few feet off the ground. Not a favorable match for Serperior, and Chandelure was also what I thought to be Bello's most powerful Pokémon. Looked like Bello wanted to get this battle over with quickly.

The two Trainers must have had microphones on them, because we could hear every word they said as Bello asked, "Take my advice, Ash, and just accept that I won," and Ash taunted, "Why? Are you scared I'll beat you?"

"I'm just trying to save you from the biggest embarrassment of your life."

Ash grinned. "The only one who's going to be embarrassed is you after I win! Serperior, use Aerial Ace!"

Serperior launched itself at Chandelure with a speed I didn't think possible for a Pokémon of its size, a clear aura surrounding it as the move activated. Ash must have trained Serperior especially for that. He had his clever moments every now and then when he wasn't just acting on every single impulse that came to him.

Bello and Chandelure weren't expecting Serperior to be so fast either because before either human or Pokémon could do anything Serperior had slammed into Chandelure so hard it smacked the wraithlike Pokémon into the wall behind it. Serperior swiftly backed up to the middle of the arena to prepare for Chandelure's counter-attack.

"Flame Burst, Chandelure," Bello instructed, as calm as before.

Chandelure shook itself and then launched several fireballs toward Serperior, who automatically ducked and slid to avoid them but as the fireballs hit the ground they exploded into several tiny flames that peppered Serperior's back and flank, leaving what looked like painful singe marks.

The burns only seemed to irritate Serperior, though, as Ash called out, "Leaf Tornado!" Serperior summoned a whirlwind of leaves and flung them at Chandelure. The attack covered a wide area so even though Chandelure tried to move out of the way it still endured a bunch of sharp leaves.

Ash didn't waste a moment and ordered, "Follow up with Poison Tail!" Serperior closed the space between it and Chandelure in the blink of an eye and its tail, now glowing purple, crashed down on top of the reeling Pokémon.

Chandelure cried out for the first time and automatically hurled a Shadow Ball that thrust Serperior away and into the ground. Bello looked a little vexed as he commanded, "Shadow Sneak."

Chandelure melted into a shadow that slid across the ground and under Serperior, who was slowly picking itself up from the small hollow in the earth it had created. Chandelure half-emerged from the shadow behind Serperior and smashed into the Regal Pokémon. Serperior was sent flying a few yards, sliding along the battlefield and sending up a cloud of dust.

"Fire Blast," Bello said, grinning.

Chandelure fully emerged and after a moment of gathering power it unleashed a wave of fire at Serperior.

"Watch out, Serperior!" Ash cried out.

But Serperior was still stunned from the combo and the Fire Blast hit it full on, engulfing the Grass-type in a great blaze. When the flames dissipated, Serperior was covered in burns, every inch of it singed. There wasn't a green spot to be seen on it. But Serperior, although clearly in pain, raised its head and fixed its gaze on Chandelure, which had returned to its end of the battlefield.

 _So stubborn_ , I thought. _Just like its Trainer._

Ash was grinning from ear to ear. "Let's go, Serperior! Giga Drain!"

Serperior and Chandelure both began to glow green. Small orbs of light materialized around Serperior and then zoomed across the arena and swirled around Chandelure, which dropped a couple feet in the air. The orbs returned to Serperior, which glowed even brighter and when the light faded, some, but not all, of its burns had disappeared and the Pokémon looked revitalized.

"Leaf Tornado, Serperior!" Ash shouted.

Chandelure was once again caught in a cyclone of leaves but with a word from its Trainer it began a small Fire Spin. Whirling around in a circle of flame Chandelure burned away the remaining leaves first and then collided with Serperior, new burns blooming on its body.

"Let's finish this," Bello declared. "Inferno."

Chandelure shone a fierce shade of red and with a loud cry it cast a huge firestorm at Serperior. Ash looked on helplessly as the Inferno overwhelmed his Pokémon, who emitted a keening cry from within the flames. When the attack finally faded, Serperior lay on the ground, severely burned and clearly knocked out. The announcer made it official by proclaiming, "Serperior is unable to battle!"

Ash called back the unconscious Pokémon, murmuring, "You did great, Serperior." He looked down at Pikachu, who was sitting at his feet. "Your turn, buddy."

Pikachu nodded and scampered out onto the battlefield, its cheeks sparking as it took an offensive stance.

After checking that both Trainers were ready, the announcer shouted, "Begin!"

"Will-O-Wisp, Chandelure." Bello made the first move this time. Chandelure shot out several blue fireballs surrounded by wispy purple flames. I knew that he was giving Chandelure time to recover from the exhausting Inferno.

"Dodge with Quick Attack!" Ash responded. Pikachu dashed off into a zigzag pattern, using the move's power to jump around the tongues of flame.

"Now follow up with Iron Tail!" Ash called out.

Pikachu's tail shone brightly as the Mouse Pokémon whirled it around and slammed it into Chandelure. This time Chandelure was clobbered into the ground, creating another crater.

"Thunderbolt!" Ash commanded.

"Get up!" Bello yelled at the same time, clearly agitated.

"Piiikaaachuuuu!" the Electric-type Pokémon cried as it zapped Chandelure with a vicious bolt of electricity.

Chandelure screeched as the Thunderbolt's power zipped through it. Pikachu kept the electricity flowing for a few moments before letting up. Chandelure hung in the air for a moment, and then collapsed, slightly smoking and twitching.

"Chandelure is unable to battle!" the announcer declared. "Both Trainers are now down to their last Pokémon!"

Bello regained his composure as he recalled Chandelure. "That was just a warm-up," he said. "Now the real battle starts. Go, Haxorus!"

A yellow and black armored monster sprung from the Poke Ball. Blade-like tusks protruded from its head and it bellowed an aggressive battle call, its tail lashing back and forth.

I knew that Pikachu was more powerful than it looked after eight years of training with Ash, but I felt scared for it. This Haxorus was a vicious Pokémon. I wouldn't be surprised if Bello used it only in the toughest battles, although that meant he saw Ash as a worthy opponent and the thought made my heart involuntarily warm a little.

Ash just gritted his teeth and Pikachu emitted a few sparks. Neither of them would stand down, even if the odds were stacked against them. Some called it foolish stubbornness, but I saw it as admirable determination. It was one of the things that drew me to Ash.

"Begin!"

"Dragon Claw, Haxorus!"

"Iron Tail, Pikachu!"

Haxorus's front claws and Pikachu's tail glowed as they charged at each other from their respective corners. Pikachu jumped and swung around so that its tail met Haxorus's claws, but Haxorus was more powerful and swiped Pikachu away. The Mouse Pokémon was thrown into the wall like Serperior had done to Chandelure at the very beginning of the battle and a small groan could be heard from the crowd.

But Pikachu picked itself up, shook its head, and ran back into the middle without delay and a small cheer went up. "You okay, buddy?" Ash checked.

"Pika."

"Awesome! Let's keep it going with Volt Tackle, then!"

Pikachu set off at a steady pace, cheeks flickering and then igniting and creating a cloak of electricity around its small form. Pikachu sped up into a sprint and crashed into Haxorus. There was enough power behind the attack to actually knock the much larger Pokémon off its feet and onto its back, electricity crackling around it.

"Now Thunderbolt!"

Haxorus had barely lifted its head when it was jolted with one of Pikachu's signature Thunderbolts. The Dragon-type Pokémon jerked about as the electrical energy surged through it. Pikachu finally let up and leapt back, preparing itself for Haxorus's reaction.

The Axe Jaw Pokémon clambered to its feet and let out an infuriated roar. It looked to its Trainer, who instructed, "Use Slash." Haxorus roared again and rushed at Pikachu, its tusks brightening.

Haxorus lowered its head as it grew close and Pikachu simply leapt over it, scurrying along the giant's back to end up behind it. Ash seized the opportunity and ordered, "Volt Tackle again!"

Still sparking from the last bout of attacks, Pikachu quickly charged up and crashed into Haxorus from behind, using the monster's momentum to send it hurtling into the wall.

Bello was no longer trying to stay calm, let alone keep a neutral expression. "Dragon Pulse, Haxorus!"

Haxorus roared and as it did it released waves of Dragon power that buffeted Pikachu, knocking it off its feet and sending it several yards across the arena with each pulsation.

"Come on, Pikachu," I muttered.

"Discharge!" Ash yelled.

Pikachu released all of the remaining electricity in its body in an intense flare that reached across the arena to Haxorus. This time some of the electricity lingered around Haxorus, who struggled to step forward, snarling in frustration.

"It's paralyzed!" the Lillipup girl exclaimed.

"Now the strongest Iron Tail ever!"

Pikachu had plenty of time to gather power in its tail as it dashed across the arena. Haxorus's claws began to glow as it tried to summon another Dragon Claw, but it couldn't swing its claws around before Pikachu reached it. The Mouse Pokémon swung around several times in the air before slamming its tail into Haxorus's head.

Haxorus flew into the air and landed at its Trainer's feet.

Pikachu's cheeks sparked as it prepared another Thunderbolt, but Ash called out, "Wait." Pikachu looked back at him and turned off the attack.

"Get up!" Bello growled at his Haxorus, but the monster just gave a low moan and didn't move.

Haxorus was done.

"Haxorus is unable to battle! Ash Ketchum is the winner!"

The entire stadium erupted into a massive round of applause and cheering. Pikachu jumped into Ash's waiting arms and the pair laughed. "We did it!" Ash declared.

I smiled and melted into the crowd, slipping out of the stadium a moment later.

No one saw Bello's icy stare as he watched his opponent celebrate.

* * *

 **AN: Woooo everyone likes a good battle, right? Hope y'all enjoyed the action! I think you can guess that things are gonna get a little intense from here on out. I can't wait to post the next chapters! As always, favorite, follow, review!  
And if it's your cup of tea, why not check out my Narnia fan fiction I'm working on right now? Just head to my profile and start reading "To Move the Stars" - it's gotten good feedback so far (even though I only have 2 chapters up at the time of posting this) so I promise it won't disappoint!  
Thanks again everyone! ^_^**


	6. Truth

6\. Truth

I returned to the Archives after the battle. Reuniclus and I were both energized after watching the rematch and we quickly gathered up the most intriguing books from my studies the day before, including the booklet of sightings I had found just before Ash showed up.

The sightings almost all correlated to the episodes that put Concordia in the history books. Every now and then, though, there were a couple sightings in between these events. They seemed to range all over the Pokémon world, though. One was in Kanto, two in Johto, one in Hoenn, and then one here in Unova.

"Excuse me, Miss Celia?"

I looked up to see the librarian standing across from me. She held out a thin purple book. "You're looking for information on Concordia sightings, correct? I completely forgot about this book until one of the Cinccinos found it. It may help you."

I accepted the book. "Yes, thank you."

The librarian nodded. "Just try to put at least some of your materials back this time, if you could?"

I smiled innocently. "Of course."

Reuniclus and I giggled mischievously once the librarian had walked away. I felt bad about that mess, but I had to admit it was a little amusing imagining all the Minccinos and Cinccinos running around with those stacks of books.

I examined the book the librarian had given me. There was no title and author on the cover, just a strange symbol. I couldn't find a title or author inside, either, and the contents started right on the first page. I shrugged and started reading.

It appeared to be a scholarly article, like something a professor would write up after a research project. The author was a Concordia enthusiast and had avidly researched the Pokémon for many years. He had invented an instrument that could measure the frequencies that Concordia released as it used its own power or tapped into other Legendaries' power. He was able to record baseline data when he was lucky enough to be present when Concordia had stopped Dialga of the Sinnoh region from taking revenge on its counterpart Palkia for some reason or another.

His data was provided at the end of the article, listing times it had spiked, indicating that Concordia had been near. It was like another kind of sighting. There were at least three spikes in between each notable event. It appeared that the author was able to get around very easily, because the spikes also ranged across all the Pokémon regions, from Kanto to Unova.

The last entry in the data was from eight years ago, here in Unova near the Cadens Woods, close to Fanum.

My head was swimming with numbers and scientific terms by this time and I leaned back and pressed against my temples. As much as I didn't want it to be true, my theory, as crazy as it was, was becoming more and more realistic.

The librarian approached me again. "I'm sorry to interrupt your studies again, Miss Celia, but we're going to be closing soon for the parade and banquet."

"Oh, right, I'll just clean up here and be on my way," I assured her.

The librarian nodded and a Minccino hopped over to help me and Reuniclus return all the books I had pulled. Fortunately, there weren't nearly as many as the day before. Within a minute Reuniclus and I were on our way back to the inn, with Reuniclus scouting ahead to make sure we didn't bump into Ash and company. Of course, I didn't know how reliable that was considering how Reuniclus had disobeyed me with Ash before.

It turned out that I didn't need to worry about looking ahead, but behind. I heard someone shout, "Celia!" and looked over my shoulder to see Dawn waving as they came down the street. I jumped into a speed walk and turned down a random street, hoping to evade them.

Unfortunately, I collided with someone who was turning the corner coming the opposite way. I fell back onto the pavement with a loud grunt, landing right on my bottom.

A hand immediately reached down to help me up and I looked up to see Bello Nocten. "I'm sorry. I didn't see you."

I ignored his hand and pushed myself up with Reuniclus's help. Bello's eyes shot down to my pendant, which had slipped from under my shirt and was noticeably warm now. He was already reaching for the crystal when he said, "That's an interesting necklace. Mind if I take a look at that?"

I instantly took a step back, pulling the crystal out of his reach just as his fingers brushed the edge. The crystal grew white hot and emitted a sharp flare. I heeded the warning at once and started to run in the opposite direction but crashed into Bello's Haxorus and promptly fell on my bottom for the second time in the past minute. Bello seized my arms and roughly pulled me to my feet while Chandelure, who had been floating behind its trainer, knocked down Reuniclus with a quick Shadow Ball.

"Hey!" Ash, Dawn, and Brock had turned the corner and quickly grasped the situation. Ash shouted, "Get your hands off her!"

"Seize them, too," Bello said.

Suddenly people I had thought to be ignorant bystanders leapt at my friends, pulling their arms behind their backs like Bello had with me and binding their wrists. I realized that they all sported a large wristband stamped with the same symbol on Bello's coat.

The same symbol printed on the cover of the purple book.

Bello had written that article.

My crystal had reached a constant burning state by now and I was thankful for the layer of fabric between it and my skin, although I doubted that the crystal would physically harm me.

This was not good.

"Let's get them back to the ship," Bello instructed. He and his followers dragged us to the back of the city. They had placed some sort of device on Pikachu, Piplup, and Reuniclus to prohibit them from attacking. Ash struggled at the beginning, but eventually even he gave up.

"What do you want with us?" Brock asked.

"Oh, I don't really need you, just her," Bello answered, nodding in my direction. "But after losing to you today, Ash, well," Bello smirked, "call this a little revenge."

As we drew closer to the edge of the city that ran up against the mountain, the yawning entrance to a cave came into view. My mind raced through my options, but the only thing I could think of was calling on a Legendary. I had never tried a telepathic summons before, but if I wanted Legendary help without alerting Bello, I couldn't speak aloud.

I blocked out Bello and his firm grip as best I could and focused on the crystal, calling on its power. Since it was already shining pretty bright already, I doubted that the others would notice a slight change in it. I just had to figure out which Legendary to appeal to for help. I needed one with subtle but destructive powers. After chewing on my lip for a bit, I made a decision, a risky one due to this particular Legendary's temper, but a temper was what I needed right now.

 _Mewtwo, Lord of Psychic,_ I transmitted, _heed my call. Lend me your power and aid me in escaping my enemies and freeing my friends._

I felt my power extend across the planet to wherever Mewtwo was currently hiding out and hit a wall. I knew it would resist, but I had something up my sleeve.

 _I think you know one of my friends._ I threw out an image of Ash.

The wall remained for a moment, and then crumbled and angry psychic energy rushed through our connection. My crystal turned purple and I aimed Mewtwo's power at Bello, releasing a small burst of the psychic energy.

Bello was thrown back into the wall of the building beside us. I broke my bonds with another bit of Mewtwo's power. One of the other guards ran at me and I threw him aside like Bello with a wave of my hand.

"Stop her! Knock her out!" Bello gasped.

Ash had started struggling again as soon as I had flung Bello away. He managed to escape his captor and I was about to break his bonds when another guard came out of nowhere and tackled me from behind. Mewtwo's power instinctively heaved him off of me, and as I got my breath back I saw that more guards, all with Bello's mark, were coming out of the cave.

"Got you!" Bello had recovered and grabbed me around the waist, one hand grabbing for the crystal in an attempt to rip it away and cut off the connection.

"Take the crystal and I die," I snarled.

Bello stopped trying to get my necklace, but he had distracted me long enough for the guards to reach us. They caught Ash easily and although I blocked one guard from reaching me, another stole up and threw a heavily scented cloth over my face.

The world blurred around me and I dimly heard Ash's shouts of protests as blackness washed over me and Mewtwo's power melted away.

xxxxx

When my eyes blinked open, the first thing I saw was Ash's blurred face staring down at me concernedly. He was holding me with my head in his lap. One part of me wanted to stay there while the other wanted to get away as fast as possible, except that my body wouldn't move.

"Celia?" Ash said. "Can you hear me?"

My head moved up and down in an extremely slow nod. Whatever they had knocked me out with was taking its sweet time wearing off. I managed to put a hand flat on the floor and somewhat straighten my arm, and with Ash's help I managed to sit up straight. When my mouth felt mobile again I asked, "Where are we?"

"Bello's airship," Ash answered.

"Airship?" I repeated in disbelief.

"They've been hiding it in the mountains behind Monaltia," Brock explained.

Reuniclus bumped into me, floating close to the ground dejectedly. I hugged my companion and he quickly showed me his perspective of the recent events: me exploding with purple energy, the guard knocking me out and Bello carrying my limp body into the cave entrance, through a tunnel, and out into a valley in the mountains where a giant black aircraft waited for us.

Bello had put us in a cage in a room with a circular opening at least ten feet high. Windows alongside it provided an almost panoramic view of the land in front us, including the spires of Monaltia. I realized that we were slowly flying over the city. A machine similar in size and shape to the opening stood in front of it and a few of Bello's henchmen sat at a row of control panels nearby.

"Ah, has our guest of honor finally awoken?" Bello himself entered with a flourish of the large cloak he had don, the swirling silver symbol that I now realized was supposed to resemble my crystal glaring out from the back.

"If this is how you treat your guests," I replied, getting to my feet as the rest of my energy flooded back, "I would hate to see what you do with your prisoners."

"Let us go, Bello!" Dawn shouted.

"Oh, don't worry, dear girl," Bello assured her, stopping in front of where I stood in the cage. "It's this one I want. You're a hard one to find, you know that?"

Ash stepped in front of me. "Leave her alone."

I pushed him aside. "Stay out of this, Ash." I walked right up to the bars, mere inches from Bello, which made my pendant grow burning hot. "Let them go and I'll cooperate."

"You don't even know what he wants!" Ash protested.

"I have an idea," I said, not taking my eyes off Bello. "I read your article, you see. Interesting piece of work."

"So you know how long I've been searching for you?" Bello turned and walked toward the machine.

"Let. My friends. Go. They don't know anything."

Bello swung around, his eyes bright. I realized too late that I had messed up.

"Don't know? You mean you haven't told them?"

"Told us what, Celia?" Ash asked.

"Quiet, Ash," I ordered over my shoulder.

Bello was silent as well, mulling over my proposal. Finally, he said, "All right. They can go. That guarantees your cooperation."

I nodded.

Bello snapped his fingers and the guard came forward with the key and unlocked the cage. Some more guards came in and took hold of each one of us. Brock and Dawn went out easily, but Ash grabbed my wrist and stated, "Celia, no. I lost you once. I'm not losing you again."

"Just go, Ash, please." Hot tears spiked behind my eyes.

Bello laughed. "Don't tell me you actually have feelings for her? You know what, Ash Ketchum, you can stay and watch the show."

"No!" I shouted. All my hard work, leaving and staying out of the way, it would be for nothing.

A couple of guards tore me away from Ash and led me to the machine.

"Celia! What are you going to do to her?" Ash questioned.

"We're just going to show you what exactly you've fallen in love with," Bello said, "by stimulating the energy locked in her crystal at the frequencies I've recorded over the years, one frequency in particular. It took me awhile to pick it out from all the data, like finding a needle in a haystack."

The guards clasped my ankles and wrists in some chains attached to the machine. I said, "At least tell me this, Bello: why?"

"Isn't it obvious? Power, of course. No one will be able to defeat me after today. I'll become the ruler of the Pokémon world."

"You're insane," Ash muttered.

Bello glared at him and I was afraid he was going to harm Ash. But Bello turned back to me. "Let's get started." He snapped his fingers and the men at the control panels went to work.

I realized it was now or never. I had to tell Ash my true feelings before it was too late. "Ash, no matter what happens, no matter how crazy it seems," I gulped and felt a few tears fall, "I love you."

"How sweet," Bello mocked, and then snapped at the technicians, "Hurry up."

One of them responded, "Initiating energy field now."

The machine hummed and I felt a tingling as some sort of energy surrounded me. I felt myself lifted up and I hovered in the middle of the giant circle.

"Energy field at one hundred percent. Releasing tethers in three, two, one, mark."

The chains fell away from my hands and feet, the links retracting into the machine so that only the shackles stuck out. I remained suspended in mid-air, however, the tingling sensation surrounding me. My crystal glowed as brightly as a star.

"Warm-up frequencies, first," Bello instructed. "Fifty-percent power."

"Transmission power at fifty percent. Transmitting frequency one-four-point-four now."

A rush of energy flowed through me and my crystal flared blue. I felt a hint of ice-cold power and faintly heard the high-pitched cry of a bird Pokémon. _Articuno, it's not me_ , I transmitted through the confusing mess of energy. _Don't give it to me._

The power melted away and my crystal returned to its bright white light.

"Transmitting frequency four-nine-point-one now."

Another energy current made my crystal turn black and I shuddered as a horrifying power seeped into me. But Darkrai was no stranger to false motives, and cut off the connection without even the slightest signal from me. The room was illuminated again as the white light returned.

"Do it," Bello commanded.

"Transmitting frequency six-five-point-oh now."

My crystal exploded with light now and I felt something stir inside it, a power that I had only felt the tiniest hints of in my dreams.

"Increase transmission power," I dimly heard Bello order.

"Increasing transmission power to seventy percent," came the response.

I tried to send the power back to the crystal, but it wasn't like cutting off a connection. The crystal was a part of me, and so was this power. It surged through every part of me. _No, no, no, stop, stop_!

Bello grinned as he said, "More."

"Increasing transmission power to ninety percent."

I couldn't fight it. I could feel it working in me, pushing at my form. I was already withdrawing into myself. I looked at Ash and he stared back helplessly.

"Full power, and add the control frequency."

 _Control frequency?_

"Transmitting frequency oh-six-point-five. Transmission power now at one hundred percent."

I cried out as the crystal's last bonds were released. I felt everything and nothing. My body stretched and my back burst open. At the same time, I could feel something worming inside my mind, something that wasn't supposed to be there. I resisted, but I was so overwhelmed by everything else coursing through me that it was futile.

I felt myself – my human mind and heart – falling away into darkness and I closed my eyes and let this slumber take me.

* * *

 **AN: This chapter and the next are my favorites in the entire piece (for good reasons I think). So much happened! We got to see Celia use her power, some AshxCelia moments, and Bello's plan is starting to take shape! I hope y'all are excited for the next chapter!  
I do apologize for posting this chapter late. I've been attending a con this weekend and I literally was not home until like midnight Friday night and went straight to bed. But I'm having an amazing time at the con! (My first ever!)  
As always, thanks for reading!**


	7. Love

7\. Love

Ash Ketchum screwed his eyes shut as the room was filled with a brilliant light centered on the girl he loved. The light pierced through his eyelids for a moment, and then began to fade. When he deemed it safe to open them again, Ash gasped.

Celia no longer floated in the middle of the machine. Instead, an immense white creature filled the circle. Its long white body bore a blue stripe and a pink stripe that intertwined with each other, and four wings that extended from the center of its back. A larger version of Celia's crystal protruded slightly from its forehead.

The room was silent for a moment.

"Finally," Bello breathed.

"What did you do to her? Where's Celia?" Ash yelled.

"She's right here," Bello answered, gesturing to what could only be a Pokémon. "This is Celia's true form: Concordia, the Legendary Peace Pokémon."

Ash shook his head. No, this couldn't be right. Celia was a girl, not a Pokémon.

Celia's words rang in his head: _No matter what happens, no matter how crazy it seems…_

Ash peered at the white Pokémon, which still hung motionless in the machine, supported only by the energy field that still crackled around it.

"Celia?"

The Pokémon's eyes flew open, and Ash caught a glimpse of beautiful blue irises before the crystal above them flashed and the Pokémon cried out as if in pain. It blinked and the irises were now as black as the pupils. Its wings were slowly flapping now, and the Pokémon held itself up as the machine powered down.

Those had been Celia's eyes.

Bello was telling the truth.

Concordia was Celia.

Bello tapped at a device in his hands. He glanced at Ash and then held up the device, which displayed Concordia's silhouette and various data. "This uses what I call the control frequency to let me, well, control Concordia. It's like a Trainer using a Poke Ball. This requires a lot less effort in my opinion, though."

Ash lunged at Bello, surprising his guards and knocking down the cloaked man. He had to free Concordia – Celia. If Concordia could summon Legendaries like Celia – hadn't Brock said something like that when they first arrived? – then there was no telling what kind of havoc Bello could wreak with that power.

Ash managed to knock away the device but the guards had recovered by then and heaved him away, gripping his arms tightly. Bello stood up and brushed some dust off his cloak before leaning down and picking up the device, fiddling with it a bit and then smiling.

"Nice try, Ash," Bello said. "But nothing can stop me now." He turned to the guards. "Lock him up. Make sure he doesn't set foot outside this ship. I'll deal with him later."

"No!" Ash yelled. "Celia! Concordia!"

But the Pokémon didn't respond and the last thing Ash saw was the guard's fist smashing into his face.

xxxxx

Bello fit the earpiece and attached microphone around his ear. "All right, Concordia. Look at me."

The Pokémon shifted her dark gaze from the wall to him.

"Good. I'm sure you want to stretch your wings a bit after being cooped up so long. Go ahead, and why don't you throw around a few attacks, destroy a few buildings, while you're out."

Concordia emitted a loud, sonorous cry and shot out through the circular opening behind it.

Bello walked to the windows and watched as the white Legendary flew down to the City of the Mountain. A beam of energy shot from Concordia's mouth every now and then, striking at some building. The faint sound of screaming drifted up to his airship.

"Descend to the city," Bello ordered. "Let's show them who's in charge now."

The airship's movement changed subtly as it began to sink, Monaltia's marble spires rising up to meet them.

Bello grinned maliciously. His reign had begun.

xxxxx

Ash moaned as he returned to consciousness. He had a massive headache and held a hand to his forehead as he slowly pushed himself up on one elbow.

He was in a bare, windowless room. A steel door with a small square window offered the only entrance and exit. After he had recovered enough that he could stand without getting dizzy, Ash tried the handle to find it locked.

 _What did you expect, Ash?_ he told himself. _That they would just let you walk out?_

He peered out the window to see a guard on either side of the door. He sighed and slid down the wall next to the door to a sitting position, resting his head in his hands. What was he going to do? Bello had taken his Pokémon, and Pikachu was with Dawn and Brock.

At that moment, Ash heard a commotion in the hall. He got to his feet again and looked out the door's window. He saw snippets of some Pokémon attacks, and the guards disappeared from his sight.

Suddenly, Dawn's face appeared on the other side of the glass. "Ash!" she shouted, her voice muted as it traveled through the thick door. "Stand back!"

Ash leapt back a second before the door glowed pink and burst open. Dawn, Brock, their Pokémon, and Reuniclus, still glowing with psychic power, stood on the other side.

"Pika!" Pikachu ran into Ash's arms and quickly reclaimed its spot on his shoulder.

"Pikachu!" Ash cried out in delight. He hugged his friends and asked, "How did you find me?"

"We didn't," Brock answered. "Reuniclus did."

The Multiplying Pokémon gave a proud gurgle.

"You didn't think we were seriously going to leave you alone in here?" Dawn said.

"Thanks, guys," Ash said. "Now how do we get out of here?"

Reuniclus warbled and waved with its arms, motioning for them to follow it as it drifted down the hall.

They encountered a few of Bello's grunts along the way but they didn't stand a chance against the combined forces of the three friends' Pokémon. A few minutes later Ash, Dawn, and Brock were running back into Monaltia.

A loud cry made them look up to see a white, blue, and pink streak zip through the sky above them, a Hyper Beam hitting a nearby building and destroying part of it. The trio shielded themselves and their exposed Pokémon as stone and other parts of the building rained down. Reuniclus also used Reflect to block some of the debris.

"What was that?" Dawn exclaimed when the dust cleared.

"It almost looks like…" Brock started.

"Concordia," Ash finished.

"Wait, so it's real?" Dawn asked.

Ash nodded. "Bello is controlling her. We have to stop him before she destroys the whole city, or calls another Legendary."

"She?" Brock repeated.

Ash took a deep breath. "Concordia is Celia. Celia is Concordia."

"What?!" Dawn and Brock looked at Ash incredulously.

"Don't ask me how it works. All I know is that I have to get Celia back." Ash looked up at the Peace Pokémon. "I'll go after Concordia herself. You guys go after Bello."

Ash took off toward Concordia before his friends could protest. He reached down to retrieve the Poke Ball containing Unfezant but grasped empty air. He let out a cry of exasperation as he remembered that Bello still had his Pokémon.

It looked like he was going to have to reach Concordia the hard way.

xxxxx

 _Something roused me the tiniest bit. A different kind of energy, one that was vaguely familiar._

 _I finally recognized it: I was summoning a Legendary._

 _I tried to cut off Bello's connection, but I was too deep within myself._

 _A crackle of electricity. A blue hue._ Zekrom. _The black dragon's roar echoed._

 _After a moment the electricity was replaced by the heat of flame. The blue turned orange._ Reshiram. _The white dragon's cry resonated in my cocoon of darkness._

No, _I tried to tell them._ Go back! Go back!

 _But my cries sounded faint even to my own ears._

 _This tiny bit of energy spent, darkness overwhelmed me once more._

xxxxx

Ash had just climbed the last fire escape ladder to reach the roof of the apartment building he had found when fierce roars boomed around him. He covered his ears as a black and then a white dragon flew over him and began circling the city, roaring at each other and apparently at Concordia.

Ash fumbled for his Pokedex, which Bello hadn't taken, and pointed it at the white dragon first.

"Reshiram, the Vast White Pokémon," the Pokedex stated accordingly. "This legendary Pokémon can scorch the world with fire. It helps those who want to build a world of truth."

When Ash swung around to the black dragon the Pokedex declared, "Zekrom, the Deep Black Pokémon. This legendary Pokémon can scorch the world with lightning. It assists those who want to build an ideal world."

"Great," Ash muttered as he put the Pokedex away. He hoped the two new arrivals wouldn't get in the way of his plan.

The three Legendaries hovered in a triangle. One of them growled every now and then as they appeared to communicate. Eventually Zekrom and Reshiram departed to opposite corners of the city, leaving trails of destruction in their wake.

"Okay, Pikachu," Ash said. "Use Thunderbolt on Concordia. Get her attention."

"Pika." Pikachu nodded and its cheeks sparked. A moment later a quick Thunderbolt zapped from its body to Concordia, who hovered nearby, watching Zekrom and Reshiram do their work.

Concordia gave a small cry and Ash cringed at the thought of Celia in pain. The Thunderbolt did the trick, though. Concordia swung around and flew low toward the building. Ash prepared himself, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

A Hyper Beam began to form in Concordia's mouth and Ash cursed. He leapt away from the center of the roof just as the Hyper Beam made contact. Ash sprung to his feet and ran toward the Peace Pokémon as she whizzed past, a few inches above the building's ruined roof. He jumped with arms outstretched and grabbed hold of Concordia's tail and the Pokémon carried him into the sky.

Ash managed to climb his way to where the Pokémon's wings sprouted from her spine before Concordia finally noticed him. She promptly began writhing around in the sky, trying to shake him off.

"Concordia! Celia! It's me, Ash!" he shouted as he held onto the base of one of her wings. Concordia's thrashing seemed to lessen for the smallest moment, and Ash seized the chance to sprint along her back and grab onto one of her slender ears.

Concordia zoomed straight up into the clouds, executing loops and corkscrews in an attempt to shake off her passenger. Ash's grip was reduced to one hand several times, but he still managed to hold on. He caught sight of the crystal and an idea popped into his head.

As he reached out with one hand, though, Concordia plummeted in a steep dive and Ash was forced to return to a two-hand grip. She leveled out just above a street and zoomed along it before returning to the air just above the city and performing more acrobatics.

Without warning a familiar electric shock struck them and Concordia seized up, convulsing slightly. The electricity faded and Concordia stayed still for a moment, twitching as sparks popped along its body. But Ash had endured many of Pikachu's Thunderbolts before and didn't waste any time crawling to the crystal embedded in Concordia's head.

Ash called to mind every single memory of Celia he possessed along with all of his love for her and touched the crystal.

xxxxx

 _His voice roused me again._

"Concordia! Celia! It's me, Ash!"

Ash! _I tried to reply but I knew he couldn't hear my inaudible cries. I could sense him. He was holding on to me, but I – no, Bello – was trying to get him off. I fought back again, and I felt the movements lessen, but it didn't last long. The darkness was too thick._

 _I held on this time, though. I didn't let the darkness take me entirely again._

 _A minute later a sliver, a crack of light peeked through, and suddenly I was back at that berry festival. A band was playing and people were dancing. Ash looked at me out of the corner of his eye and then stretched out his hand and asked nervously, "Uh, would you like to dance with me, Celia?"_

 _I stared at him for a moment and my heart fluttered a bit, a hint of what was to come. I smiled and put my hand in his. "Yes."_

 _Then it was a week later and the two of us sat on the crown of a hill, gazing up at the stars. It was one of my favorite things to do. A crescent moon hung in the sky as well, providing just enough light for Ash and I to see each other but not so much that it blocked out the stars._

" _It's beautiful tonight,"_ _I commented._

" _Not as beautiful as you," Ash replied._

 _I looked over sharply but he had turned away and become very interested in the grass, plucking at a few blades._

 _I lay my hand on top of his. Ash looked back at me and then down at our hands. He moved his so that our fingers laced together._

 _I felt like my heart was about to burst. I leaned into him and he tentatively put his arm around me, taking hold of my hand with his other one. I felt him sigh and as I closed my eyes I felt content._

 _Then the moon grew full and started to shrink again and Ash and I were sitting together on a bench in a park. We couldn't see as many stars due to the brighter moon and the lamppost standing a few feet away, but I was happy just to be alone with Ash, his arm stretched around me and holding me close._

" _Celia, I…" Ash trailed off._

 _I looked up at him. I couldn't read his expression. "What?_

 _He gazed at me silently for a moment and then leaned down and pressed his lips against mine for the first time. I reached up with one hand and tangled my fingers in his eternally messy hair as I kissed him back. His other arm came around me and held me even closer._

 _Ash pulled away for a moment and whispered, "I love you."_

 _I smiled. "I love you, too." I kissed him again._

 _We stayed like that for a long time._

 _Now it was raining, storming, and my mind shivered. I had seen this many times._

" _Celia! Wait!"_

 _I started to run but he had already caught up. He grabbed my wrist and stopped me._

" _Why are you doing this?"_

 _I didn't turn to look at him. If I did, I might lose my nerve. "You wouldn't understand."_

" _What about…what about us?"_

 _I finally looked over my shoulder at him. I didn't want to leave. Every part of me said_ stay _. But I whispered, "It's better this way. Trust me."_

" _How? Please, Celia."_

" _I'm sorry, Ash."_

 _I tore away from his grip, my skin tingling from his touch, and ran away into the downpour, tears streaming down my face and mingling with the raindrops._

 _A wave of pain and love hit me and I realized it was Ash's emotions._

I didn't mean to hurt you, _I said, uncertain if he could hear me._ I was trying to protect you.

 _The crack of light grew bigger and more memories flashed before me. I could feel the darkness growing thinner. I began to fight back again, moving up toward the light._

 _Then the moment before I transformed appeared._

 _I was crying as I declared desperately, "Ash, no matter what happens, no matter how crazy it seems, I love you."_

I never stopped, _I added._

 _Then I heard Ash's voice break through._ Neither did I.

 _The rest of the darkness fell away and I surged into the light._

xxxxx

Concordia had become as still as stone except for her wings moving instinctively to hold them steady in the air the moment Ash touched the crystal and opened up his memories and emotions. He figured that even though Celia always kept her guard up around him, Concordia might not. Concordia's stillness allowed him to set himself in a more secure position.

The dark crystal, swirling with orange and blue hues due to Zekrom and Reshiram, had lightened a little. Ash sent out his strongest memories in particular: when he finally got up the courage to show some of his feelings by asking Celia to dance; the night when Celia took his hand and he knew that she felt the same way about him; and their first kiss.

He sent out the painful ones, too. He poured out all his emotions with the memory of the night she left.

He faintly heard something, words that seemed to come from inside his own head.

… _didn't mean…trying...protect you…_

"Come on, Celia," Ash breathed. "I know you're in there."

He sent another round of memories. The crystal grew brighter and the blackness began to turn gray. Ash finally summoned the moment before Bello had forced Celia to transform into Concordia, when she had told him the one thing he wanted to hear since she had left.

He heard her loud and clear now: _I never stopped_.

Ash felt a single tear slide down his cheek. _Neither did I_ , he sent back.

The tear dropped right onto the crystal. The crystal exploded with white light and Ash used his free hand to shield his eyes, refusing to release the crystal until he was sure that Bello was no longer in control.

When the light faded, Ash peeked at the crystal under his fingers. It was no longer dark. The only light that came from it was a soft glow alternating between orange for Reshiram and blue for Zekrom.

Concordia's head suddenly moved and Ash lost his balance and slid back down her neck and halfway off one side. He struggled to find some kind of handhold as he continued to slowly slip off, but couldn't get a grip on Concordia's sleek body.

He fell.

Ash's scream was cut off as something caught him and knocked the wind out of him. He coughed and looked down to see that a white paw was cradling him gently as it lifted him higher. He looked back up to see Concordia's head, a front-view instead of a top-view this time.

Light blue eyes peered out at him.

Celia's eyes.

"Celia!" Ash exclaimed.

Concordia smiled. _Ash._ Celia's voice sounded inside his head as she communicated telepathically. _Are you all right? I didn't realize that you were right on top of my head._

"Yeah, I'm fine. Are you okay, Celia?"

 _I am now, thanks to you. You helped me break through Bello's control._ Concordia brought her paw across her body to the base of her wings, allowing Ash to jump over and settle himself in front of the first set. _Speaking of which, it's time for us to get a little revenge of our own._ Both the blue and pink stripes painted Concordia's body close to Ash's position, and each of them raised themselves up a bit to form handholds.

 _Hold on_. Concordia shot off toward the airship that hovered a few hundred feet over the edge of Monaltia, casting a shadow over part of the half-destroyed city.

Concordia slowed a moment when the sight of the ruined buildings registered. _Did I do this?_

"No, Celia," Ash protested. "Bello did this, not you."

Concordia glanced back at the Trainer and prepared to take off again when Ash suddenly cried out, "Wait! Pikachu!" Ash hadn't seen where his Pokémon companion had gone when the roof had been destroyed, but it had been the one to stop Concordia and allow Ash to reach the crystal.

 _Of course._ Concordia's eyes closed for a moment, and then opened again and she turned around and headed back toward the center of the city. She circled a structure a block or two away from the half-destroyed apartment building where a small yellow creature was running back and forth excitedly. Concordia landed softly and with a happy cry Pikachu ran up her front leg to where Ash sat with his arms open.

 _I must thank you for your help as well, Pikachu,_ Concordia said.

"Pika pi!" the Mouse Pokémon responded, settling itself in Ash's lap.

Concordia launched herself into the air again, reaching the panoramic window of the airship in a few seconds. Inside, Bello and a few of his henchmen were battling Dawn, Brock, and Reuniclus. Attacks flew back and forth between the two sides as all of Dawn's and Brock's Pokémon, as well as Ash's Pokémon, which they must've found and released, took on Bello's Haxorus and Chandelure and the henchmen's Liepards and Scraftys.

Concordia roared, the pretty tone slightly distorted by anger. The battles paused as all the humans and Pokémon turned to look at the Legendary.

"Ash!" Dawn and Brock shouted. His Pokémon cheered at the sight of their Trainer.

"No!" Bello cursed as he hammered at his control device to no avail.

 _It's over, Bello._ Concordia's voice echoed in everyone's minds. _You don't control me anymore._

"No, I will be the most powerful person in the world! Chandelure, Shadow Ball!"

Chandelure obeyed, launching a massive sphere of darkness at Concordia. A ball of light formed in Concordia's mouth and flew at the Shadow Ball, meeting it halfway in a loud explosion. Smoke filled the airship and streamed around Concordia.

 _Reuniclus, Teleport our friends out of there!_ Concordia ordered.

When the smoke cleared, Reuniclus was just Teleporting the last group of Pokémon out of the airship to the roof of a nearby building. The Pokémon sank to the ground, exhausted from transporting so many bodies. Brock gave it a pat and a treat, which made Reuniclus perk up a little. Bello's henchmen had fled the airship, leaving their master and his Pokémon to fend for themselves.

 _Last chance, Bello,_ Concordia warned. _If you give all of this up, if you leave me alone, I'll show mercy._

"You wouldn't kill me. You're the Peace Pokémon," Bello said.

 _I keep the peace, Bello. Sometimes that involves violent measures, especially when I'm defending myself._

Ash could feel the Hyper Beam's power gathering and without hesitation he shouted, "Stop, Celia!"

The power melted away as Concordia's head moved to look at him.

"This isn't you! You would never kill someone! I hate Bello just as much as you but this isn't the answer."

Concordia blinked a few times, looked back at Bello, then at Ash again. _You're right._

Concordia lunged forward, breaking through the wide window. She grabbed Bello and his two Pokémon roughly and deposited them on a different roof than the others.

 _I can still destroy that machine and ship, though._

With that, she released a series of Hyper Beams that ripped through the airship. Explosions boomed over the entire ship and smoke billowed from the riddled metal. As it began to sink Concordia knocked it in the direction of the mountains, away from the city. The airship crashed into the side of a mountain that had once hid its existence from Monaltia, sliding along until it lodged itself somewhere on the rocks, where it sat spewing fire and smoke.

Bello let out a tiny whimper at the sight of the destruction.

"Feel better now?" Ash asked.

 _Much_.

* * *

 **AN: Ahhhh this is probably my favorite chapter. Y'all finally get to see some AshxCelia background! I'm thinking after I finish publishing this fanfiction I might write a series of one-shots about Ash and Celia to show their relationship's progression. Would you like to see that?  
Only a couple chapters left! Well, the last one is more like an epilogue. I'm so excited!  
Please favorite, follow, comment, all that good stuff! Thanks readers! :)**


	8. Strength

8\. Strength

I smiled to myself as I turned my back on the mass of metal that had once been Bello's airship and descended to the rooftop where my friends waited. I allowed Ash to slide off my back before hovering at roughly eye level of my friends. I still wasn't quite used to my bulk, but at least I didn't really have to think about the flying part. The Pokémon part of me seemed to take care of that just fine.

Ash's Pokémon piled on top of him as soon as he set foot on the roof. "I'm glad you guys are okay! You did a great job helping Dawn and Brock!" The Pokémon all gave happy cries at the praise. Brock handed Ash his Poké Balls and he swiftly called back his Pokémon. "You guys deserve a long rest."

Dawn approached me. "Is that really you, Celia?"

 _It's really me,_ I told her.

"Wow, that's amazing!" Brock exclaimed. "Have you always known about this?"

I shook my head. _No, I only figured it out for myself a few months ago. I kept having the same dream over and over, and then I realized it was a memory. Eventually I put all the pieces together. That's when I set out on my own._

"But how did you become a human?" Dawn asked.

 _That was the memory. I was flying in a storm, and Zekrom and Reshiram were fighting–_

I stopped. Zekrom and Reshiram! How could I forget about them? I spun around and saw the two Legendaries continuing to wreak havoc on Monaltia. Breaking Bello's control hadn't sent the two away.

I looked back at Ash and my friends. _I have to go take care of this._

Without a moment's delay, I shot off to the other side of the city. I faintly heard Ash call out, "Celia, wait!" but I ignored him. This was my job.

I tapped into my connections with them and called out, _Zekrom! Reshiram! There is no more need for this destruction! You were fooled!_

Both dragons paused and looked at me. I could sense their confusion.

 _A human wanted to rule the world and took my power to summon you and do his bidding,_ I explained.

An inkling of admiration leaked through my connection with Zekrom, and the black dragon communicated, _A strong man, then, to take you and your power_.

I tried to defend myself: _I was in a weaker form…_

 _Really, Zekrom?_ Another voice caught me off and I realized that it was Reshiram. _This man chose to pursue his ambitions through a dishonest use of her powers._

 _I feel such cleverness should at least be acknowledged, Reshiram, that is all._

 _Cleverness? Don't you care about achieving success through honest means that will draw the admiration of all, not just one silly dragon?_

 _Silly? I am Zekrom, your equal, if not better!_

I felt my connections slipping as the two Legendaries became more enraged. I grasped at them and tried to intervene. _Now, hold on. It doesn't matter…_

The connections disappeared entirely and I realized that I had lost control of the black and white dragons. I looked on in dismay as Zekrom and Reshiram began to attack each other, colliding over and over and throwing fire and lightning at each other.

"Celia! Concordia!"

I turned to see Ash flying toward me on his Unfezant, Pikachu on his shoulder as always.

 _Ash! You need to get out of here! They've started quarreling again and I've lost control!_

Out of the corner of my eye I saw a red Fire Blast and blue Thunder about to collide and I wrapped my long body around Ash and his Unfezant to shield them from the attack blast.

 _Ha!_ The crystal picked up Reshiram's taunts. _Is that the best you can do, Zekrom? Don't tell me you've grown feeble over the centuries!_

 _You want power, Reshiram? Then take this!_

A giant orb of blue electricity encased Zekrom. Its eyes and tail glowed brighter and the crackling growing louder as it gathered power. In response, giant red flames sprouted from Reshiram's tail and streamed around the white dragon. The sphere of fire steadily grew bigger and hotter, the flames turning blue.

I flashed back to the memory that had changed everything. Zekrom and Reshiram preparing their ultimate attacks. There was only one thing I could do then and only one thing I could do now. The only difference was I was weaker now, not having occupied my true form for eight years, as well as recovering from the darkness of Bello's control.

I looked down at Ash and whispered, _I'm sorry_. I took him and Unfezant in my paw and flung him away from the scene, ignoring his protests.

I raced toward Zekrom and Reshiram, their forms almost completely concealed in their respective shells of electricity and fire. The two dragons were like two suns that had descended from their homes to scorch the land below them.

I couldn't let that happen.

The two Legendaries launched themselves at each other and with one last burst of speed I flung myself into the space between the two. Instead of the two great powers meeting each other and combusting in an intense explosion, they met my body instead.

I screamed as blue flames burned one side of me and blue lightning seared the other. Excruciating pain filled every atom of my being. A high-pitched whine from my crystal sounded in my mind as it reacted to the torture, causing agony inside of me as Zekrom and Reshiram ravaged the outside.

Two deafening booms echoed as the attacks discharged the last of their power in smaller explosions than what would have resulted had the two forces made contact. Smoke filled my lungs and I barely had the energy to cough in a meager attempt to clear them.

The forces on either side of me moved away and I felt myself slip from their pincer hold. It barely registered that I was falling, my wings lifeless, as devastated as the rest of my body. I was numb by this time and didn't notice the slightest bit that my wings, and my entire form, were growing smaller.

A different kind of darkness came rushing in, and having no energy left whatsoever, I let it claim me.

xxxxx

 _I'm sorry._

Ash was scarcely able to keep his grip around Unfezant as Concordia threw them away from her. Unfezant barely caught itself, soaring upwards again a moment before they would've crash-landed on the roof of a building.

When he looked up again, he could only watch in horror as Concordia threw herself between Zekrom and Reshiram.

"NOOOOO!"

Concordia's cry of pain pierced Ash's heart. A moment later there was an explosion on either side of her and Ash saw the slender white Legendary plunge from the enormous smoke cloud. The falling figure began to glow and Ash realized that Concordia's body was shrinking.

"Go, Unfezant!" he commanded.

With a piercing shriek Unfezant zoomed towards the falling body. The glow disappeared in a shower of sparkles and the human body of Celia landed in Ash's arms. He cradled her against his body with one arm while keeping a grip on Unfezant with the other as it sharply dived to the closest rooftop.

Ash carefully laid out Celia's body, cradling her head in his lap. Every inch of her was charred and blackened, her skin, her hair, even her dress. The crystal was the only thing that looked the same, except that it was completely clear, void of all color.

"Celia! Wake up! Come on, Celia, please wake up!"

To Ash's amazement, Celia's eyelids fluttered and those beautiful blue eyes looked up at him. "Ash." His name came out in the softest whisper, but it came out.

"I'm here, Celia. You're going to be okay. We'll get you to a hospital and–"

"No, Ash." Her voice was a little stronger, but still soft and raspy. "This is too much for any healer. I didn't have the power to protect myself this time. I had been in human form for too long."

"No." Ash choked on his words as the tears began to spill. "No, there has to be something we can do."

Celia closed her eyes and for a moment Ash feared the worst, but then they opened again, although not all the way. "The only thing that could heal this is Celebi, but I don't have nearly enough energy to hold a connection."

Ash shook his head. "There has to be a way. I'm not losing you again."

Celia's eyes brightened. "You. You can do it."

"What?"

"You have memories of Celebi. You can bring it here." Celia managed to grab her crystal and hold it up to Ash. "I can call Celebi, but you have to hold the connection and see it through with your memories."

Ash repositioned one arm so that he could still hold up Celia and took her crystal in the other hand. He stared at it lying cold and clear in his palm. Celia was definitely on the verge of dying if the crystal wasn't even reacting to him when she most likely wasn't able to keep up her usual barrier. His fingers closed around the crystal. "Okay. Let's do it."

Celia closed her eyes and murmured, "Celebi, Fairy of Time, answer my prayer. Heal my wounds so that I may live with the ones I love."

Ash felt the crystal warm a few degrees and he saw a light shade of green fill its swirling shape. He immediately summoned his memories of when he met Celebi in the Ilex Forest. It had taken a boy named Sam through time and Ash and Brock and Misty, his other companion at the time, searched for Celebi so Sam could return home. When they found Celebi, though, it was captured and corrupted by an evil man, almost killing the forest. Ash and his friends had managed to rescue Celebi, but it was too late and ended up dying. The Celebi from all other times came, however, and revived their friend.

Ash knew that Celebi could heal Celia.

He felt something touch his mind, and he realized that the connection had gone through. Celia had explained how she summoned Legendaries enough times to him, though, that he knew he still had to convince Celebi to come help. Ash closed his eyes and concentrated. _Please, Celebi, if you can hear me, please come help Celia. I love her so much and I don't want to see her die. I don't care that she's really a Pokémon. Please, Celebi, please heal her._

Ash opened his eyes to see that the green in the crystal had grown a little stronger, and the crystal was even giving off some light.

But then the light began to fade.

Ash looked at Celia. Her eyes were open again, sky blue circles fixed on him. Her lips curled in a small smile. "I love you, Ash."

A sob escaped Ash's throat. "I love you, too, Celia. Don't go. Please, don't leave me."

Celia closed her eyes and sighed. The green swirls in the crystal dissipated and it was cool once more.

She was gone.

Ash hugged Celia to him and wept. He had been so sure that Celebi would come. Did he mess up? Did he not hold the connection?

"Bi?"

Ash looked up to see a small green creature with clear wings and big blue eyes floating in front of him. He wiped his eyes with one hand. He murmured in disbelief, "Celebi?"

"Bi! Bi!" Celebi bobbed up and down and flew in a little circle. It drew close to Celia, and Ash lowered her body again to let Celebi see her. The Time Travel Pokémon hovered over the girl for a moment, touching her head and then her crystal.

"Can you bring her back?" Ash asked.

Celebi looked up at Ash and gave a short "Bi!" before flying up again. It soared in a large ascending spiral, calling out in long cries. A pulsing light appeared high in the sky. It released a shockwave before opening up to allow more Celebi to float down.

Ash realized that Celebi was calling on all of the Celebis from the past and future to come help it, just like when Celebi itself had died.

A blue glow enveloped Celia's body and she was lifted out of Ash's arms and into the air. She hovered in the middle of the throng of Celebis and her body began to glow even brighter. The Celebis swirled around her and began to glow themselves. At last the radiance faded and Ash could see that all traces of Celia's burns were gone. Her skin was clean, her blonde hair flowed from beneath the scarf, and her dress was a crisp white.

Celia gently floated down feet first and Ash stood under her, ready to catch her when she reached the ground. She was already coming to when she landed and managed to stay standing. Her eyes opened and she blinked a few times before saying in a strong voice, "Ash?"

"Celia!" Ash wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug and she returned the embrace. "I thought you were gone."

"So did I," Celia replied. She pulled away and they looked up just in time to see the Celebis of the past and future traveling back through the portal in the sky. The light closed up again with one last shockwave.

The original Celebi flew up to and all around Celia, inspecting her. "Bibibi! Bi!"

Celia grinned and reached out to touch Celebi. "Thank you, Celebi."

"Bi bi!" Celebi performed one last corkscrew before flying off and disappearing into its own portal.

A rumble behind them made Ash and Celia turn around. Zekrom and Reshiram hovered nearby, studying them, Celia in particular. Ash heard each dragon growl a bit and Celia nodded to them, saying, "All is forgiven."

The two Legendaries promptly turned around and flew off in opposite directions, back to whence they came when Bello had forced Concordia to summon them.

Ash gazed at Celia. "That was amazing."

Celia smiled shyly.

"Just try to avoid dying again if you can," he added.

Celia laughed. "Don't worry, I don't plan on it."

"Celia, I want you to know, I don't care-"

Celia placed her fingers on Ash's mouth to stop him from talking. "I know, Ash. I heard you when you called Celebi."

Their lips met and in that moment Ash's world shrunk to just him and Celia, the girl he truly loved and would love for all time, no matter who or what she was.

"Ash! Celia!"

Dawn and Brock interrupted them as the other Trainers reached the rooftop. Dawn rushed forward and hugged Celia. "Are you okay? We saw you fall!"

Celia smiled and looked at Ash. "I'm fine now. Ash saved me."

"You were really brave to sacrifice yourself like that," Brock said.

Celia shrugged. "I was just doing what I was born to do."

Celia's crystal flashed brightly and she looked down at it. "I gotta go. It's time for Concordia to return to her duties and she's itching to get back out in the world." She looked at each of her friends. "Thank you for everything, all of you."

She leaned up and kissed Ash on the cheek, making him smile. The skin felt warm and tingly where her lips had touched it. Before she could go off he caught her hand and asked, "See you soon?"

Celia nodded. "Definitely."

With that, the crystal began to shine brightly and Celia's body was enveloped in the white light. Her form began to change shape as it lifted itself into the air. A minute later the light faded and Concordia hovered above them. The Pokémon gave a long, melodic call and circled the Trainers once before shooting off towards the mountains.

"See you soon," Ash murmured as he waved at Concordia's receding figure.

* * *

 **AN: Yes, I have returned! Thank you all for your patience and also shout out to those who followed and favorited this story during my hiatus. This is really the last chapter of all the action. I hope you enjoyed it! The next and final chapter is more like an epilogue so it's pretty short. I'll leave a longer author's note there. :)**


	9. Immortality

9\. Immortality

I stood in the same spot I had stopped the first time I crossed the bridge. The river roared below, crashing against the cliff walls and ever eating away at the rock. I wondered, what would it look like in a hundred years, two hundred, five hundred? Would I still even be around then?

 _My chances of that are looking better now_ , I figured. Legendaries were known to live a long time if they refrained from destroying each other.

This time I was alone. I would miss having Reuniclus at my side. I hadn't thought about what my companion would do now that I would be off watching over the world. I knew Ash would be delighted to take care of it if Reuniclus wanted to stay with him, or maybe it could return to Fanum.

I closed my eyes and listened to the howling wind, the roaring water, the flapping banners, the chatter of the crowd. None of them knew that this girl in the white sundress with a pink and blue scarf in her blonde hair had been the slender white Legendary that saved Monaltia from destruction just the day before. I would like to keep it that way, too. After what happened with Bello, the less people who knew my true identity, the better.

A gurgling sound made me open my eyes and I looked over to see a familiar green Psychic Pokémon floating its way over to me. I grinned and laughed as Reuniclus wrapped its giant arms around me with such force it almost knocked me over.

"Pika!"

I looked down to see Pikachu jumping at my feet. "Hello, Pikachu!" I said as I reached down and scooped up the Electric Pokémon, squeezing it in a quick hug. Pikachu squealed in delight and climbed up over my shoulders and head before jumping back down to the ground and scampering back toward its Trainer.

Ash, Dawn, and Brock stood a few feet away. I smiled at them, suddenly feeling a little shy. We had parted on good terms the day before, but now that they'd had time to digest the new circumstances, I didn't know what exactly they thought of me.

Ash's feelings hadn't changed. He ran to me and swept me up in a close embrace, spinning me around before setting me back on my feet. He touched my face with one hand and said, "Have I ever told you that you're beautiful?"

I smiled. "I can't remember. You'll have to keep reminding me."

"I thought you'd gone already."

"I wasn't going to leave without a proper good-bye. I'm assuming you all are headed out?"

Ash nodded. "Yeah, time for me to challenge the Elite Four."

"I'm sure you'll do fantastically. I wish I could be there to watch, but now that Concordia's returned, I need to re-establish my connections with each of the Legendaries."

"When will I see you again?"

I held out a hand with the palm facing up and focused a little bit of my power in the space. Light coalesced into a round shape above my hand, and then extended out in a loop. When the light faded, a copy of my crystal, leather cord and all, lay in my hand. The only difference between the original and the copy was that the copy was completely clear while the original that hung around my neck always held some color, no matter how muted.

I lifted the necklace over Ash's head and positioned it around his neck. I explained, "These crystals will keep us connected. If you ever need me, call and I will come."

Ash looked down and touched his new crystal, then looked back up at me and kissed me. It lasted a long time and neither of us wanted it to end. We didn't know when we would see each other again. It could be weeks or even years before we were able to be together again.

But at least this time, we were separating with the promise that we _would_ see each other again, a promise that neither of us planned on breaking. This time, I wasn't running off into the rain, fleeing my fears. No, this time, I was flying high into the light, embracing my true identity.

I'd found peace at last.

* * *

 **AN:** **THE END! Yayyy I've now finished posting my first fanfiction on this website! Thank you so much to everyone who favorited and followed and reviewed and all that fun stuff! I hope you all enjoyed reading this story as much as I did writing (and re-reading) it.**

 **But this isn't the last you'll see of Celia! I would like to write a prequel to this showing more of those flashbacks and how her and Ash's relationship grew. I don't know when it'll happen but it's definitely in the future.**

 **In the meantime, I'll be focusing my attention on my Narnia fanfiction, _To Move the Stars_. If you haven't read it yet, please check it out! I may also start working on my planned Atlantis fanfiction. We'll see how things go. :)**

 **Thank you again everyone!**


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